Knocking out central metabolism genes to identify new targets and alternating substrates to improve lipid synthesis in .

Systematic gene knockout studies may offer us novel insights on cell metabolism and physiology. Specifically, the lipid accumulation mechanism at the molecular or cellular level is yet to be determined in the oleaginous yeast . Herein, we established ten engineered strains with the knockout of important genes involving in central carbon metabolism, NADPH generation, and fatty acid biosynthetic pathways.

Death at the interface: Nanotechnology's challenging frontier against microbial surface colonization.

The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial strains has led to novel approaches for combating bacterial infections and surface contamination. More specifically, efforts in combining nanotechnology and biomimetics have led to the development of next-generation antimicrobial/antifouling nanomaterials. While nature-inspired nanoscale topographies are known for minimizing bacterial attachment through surface energy and physicochemical features, few studies have investigated the combined inhibitory effects of such features in combination with chemical alterations of these surfaces.

Elucidating the Role of Biofilm-Forming Microbial Communities in Fermentative Biohydrogen Process: An Overview.

Amongst the biofuels described in the literature, biohydrogen has gained heightened attention over the past decade due to its remarkable properties. Biohydrogen is a renewable form of H that can be produced under ambient conditions and at a low cost from biomass residues. Innovative approaches are continuously being applied to overcome the low process yields and pave the way for its scalability.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals the antibacterial mechanism of phenolic compounds from kefir fermented soy whey against Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes.

Transcriptomic analysis was used to investigate the antibacterial mechanism of phenolic compounds from kefir fermented soy whey (FSP) against Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes. The kefir fermentation increased the concentration of several phenolic aglycones with proven antibacterial efficacy in the FSP. The time-kill curve showed that 2× MICs of the FSP killed >99.

Isolating Single Sn Atoms in CuO Mesocrystal to Form Ordered Atomic Interfaces: An Effective Strategy for Designing Highly Efficient Mesocrystal Catalysts.

Tuning the electronic structures of mesocrystals at the atomic level is an effective approach to obtaining unprecedented properties. Here, a lattice-confined strategy to obtain isolated single-site Sn atoms in CuO mesocrystals to improve catalytic performance is reported. The Sn/CuO mesocrystal composite (Sn/CuO MC) has ordered Sn-O-Cu atomic interfaces originated from the long-range ordering of the CuO mesocrystal itself.

Isolating Contiguous Ir Atoms and Forming Ir-W Intermetallics with Negatively Charged Ir for Efficient NO Reduction by CO.

The lack of efficient catalysts with a wide working temperature window and vital O and SO resistance for selective catalytic reduction of NO by CO (CO-SCR) largely hinders its implementation. Here, a novel Ir-based catalyst with only 1 wt% Ir loading is reported for efficient CO-SCR. In this catalyst, contiguous Ir atoms are isolated into single atoms, and Ir-W intermetallic nanoparticles are formed, which are supported on ordered mesoporous SiO (KIT-6).

On the quest for novel bio-degradable plastics for agricultural field mulching.

Plasticulture, the practice of using plastic materials in agricultural applications, consumes about 6.7 million tons of plastics every year, which is about 2% of the overall global annual plastics production. For different reasons, plastic material used for agriculture is difficult to recycle.

CO Activation and Hydrogenation on Cu-ZnO/AlO Nanorod Catalysts: An In Situ FTIR Study.

CuZnO/AlO is the industrial catalyst used for methanol synthesis from syngas (CO + H) and is also promising for the hydrogenation of CO to methanol. In this work, we synthesized AlO nanorods (n-AlO) and impregnated them with the CuZnO component. The catalysts were evaluated for the hydrogenation of CO to methanol in a fixed-bed reactor.

Advanced genome-editing technologies enable rapid and large-scale generation of genetic variants for strain engineering and synthetic biology.

Targeted genome editing not only improves our understanding of fundamental rules in life sciences but also affords us versatile toolkits to improve industrially relevant phenotypes in various host cells. In this review, we summarize the recent endeavor to develop efficient genome-editing tools, and emphasize the utility of these tools to generate massive scale of genetic variants. We categorize these tools into traditional recombination-based tools, and more advanced CRISPR as well as RNA-based genome-editing tools.

Community structure and co-occurrence network analysis of bacteria and fungi in wheat fields vs fruit orchards.

Soil microorganisms play a vital role in biogeochemical processes and nutrient turnover in agricultural ecosystems. However, the information on how the structure and co-occurrence patterns of microbial communities response to the change of planting methods is still limited. In this study, a total of 34 soil samples were collected from 17 different fields of 2 planting types (wheat and orchards) along the Taige Canal in Yangtze River Delta.

Biofilms on stone monuments: biodeterioration or bioprotection?

Debate on whether biofilms on stone monuments are biodeteriorative or bioprotective is long-standing. We propose a criterion of 'relative bioprotective ratio' for assessing the ambivalent role of the biofilms by comparing biodeterioration with weathering. A boundary between biodeterioration and bioprotection exists and fluctuates with dynamic microflora influenced by environmental conditions.

Lewis base sites of non-oxide supports boost oxygen absorption and activation over supported Pt catalysts.

Formaldehyde (HCHO) oxidation to improve indoor air quality has attracted extensive attention. Designing efficient catalysts for HCHO removal at room temperature still remains challenging. Herein, we report a novel strategy to boost HCHO oxidation by the synergistic effect of Pt nanoparticles and CN.

Skin bioelectronics towards long-term, continuous health monitoring.

Skin bioelectronics are considered as an ideal platform for personalised healthcare because of their unique characteristics, such as thinness, light weight, good biocompatibility, excellent mechanical robustness, and great skin conformability. Recent advances in skin-interfaced bioelectronics have promoted various applications in healthcare and precision medicine. Particularly, skin bioelectronics for long-term, continuous health monitoring offer powerful analysis of a broad spectrum of health statuses, providing a route to early disease diagnosis and treatment.

Redirecting marine antibiofouling innovations from sustainable horizons.

Biofouling has great environmental, economic, and societal impacts. Emerging and promising strategies for antibiofouling require incorporation of sustainability concepts. To this end, key research priorities should be given to disrupting attachment of organisms or engineering innovative surfaces to slough off fouling organisms from the surfaces, with more holistic considerations of other viable options, including eco-friendly antifouling chemicals.

Impacts of the Catalyst Structures on CO Activation on Catalyst Surfaces.

Utilizing CO as a sustainable carbon source to form valuable products requires activating it by active sites on catalyst surfaces. These active sites are usually in or below the nanometer scale. Some metals and metal oxides can catalyze the CO transformation reactions.

Modelling of Elongational Flow of HDPE Melts by Hierarchical Multi-Mode Molecular Stress Function Model.

The transient elongational data set obtained by filament-stretching rheometry of four commercial high-density polyethylene (HDPE) melts with different molecular characteristics was reported by Morelly and Alvarez [Rheologica Acta 59, 797-807 (2020)]. We use the Hierarchical Multi-mode Molecular Stress Function (HMMSF) model of Narimissa and Wagner [Rheol. Acta 54, 779-791 (2015), and J.

Ecological distribution and potential roles of Woesearchaeota in anaerobic biogeochemical cycling unveiled by genomic analysis.

Woesearchaeota as a newly established member of the superphylum DPANN (Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota, Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota and Nanohaloarchaea) are surprisingly abundant and diverse in a wide variety of environments, including deep oil reservoir, sulfuric springs and anoxic aquifers, indicating a high diversity of their roles in global biogeochemical cycles. However, ecological functions of them remain elusive. To fill up this gap, we analyzed and compared the global distribution patterns of Woesearchaeota using the genomes available publicly.

Architectural CuO@CuO mesocrystals as superior catalyst for trichlorosilane synthesis.

As compared with conventional nanocrystal systems, Cu-based mesocrystals have demonstrated distinct advantages in catalytic applications. Here, we report the preparation of a novel architectural CuO@CuO catalyst system integrated with the core/shell and mesocrystal structures (CuO@CuO MC) via a facile solvothermal process followed by calcination. The formation mechanism of the CuO@CuO MC with hexapod morphology was deciphered based on a series of time-dependent experiments and characterizations.

Carbon hollow fiber membranes for a molecular sieve with precise-cutoff ultramicropores for superior hydrogen separation.

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes with rigid and uniform pore structures are ideal candidates for high temperature- and pressure-demanded separations, such as hydrogen purification from the steam methane reforming process. Here, we report a facile and scalable method for the fabrication of cellulose-based asymmetric carbon hollow fiber membranes (CHFMs) with ultramicropores of 3-4 Å for superior H separation. The membrane fabrication process does not require complex pretreatments to avoid pore collapse before the carbonization of cellulose precursors.

Design of ultrathin nanosheet subunits ZnInS hollow nanocages with enhanced photoelectric conversion for ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical sensing.

Herein, a high-efficiency photoactive material, hollow ZnInS nanocages (ZIS-HNCs) composed of ultrathin nanosheets were creatively synthesized via a metal-organic framework (MOF) derived solvothermal method. It had been specified the underlying mechanism of the ZIS-HNCs evolution under the MOF templated surface. Subsequently, the obtained ZIS-HNCs combined with annealing TiO modified electrode (ZIS-HNCs@TiO), and the ZIS-HNCs@TiO exhibited intense transient photocurrent.

Recycling the CoMo/AlO catalyst for effectively hydro-upgrading shale oil with high sulfur content and viscosity.

Hydrotreatment is an effective upgrading technology for removing contaminants and saturating double bonds. Still, few studies have reported the hydro-upgrading of shale oil, with unusually high sulfur (13200 ppm) content, using the CoMo/AlO catalyst. Here we report an extensive study on the upgrading of shale oil by hydrotreatment in a stirred batch autoclave reactor (500 ml) for sulfur removal and viscosity reduction.

Robust Fabrication of Composite 3D Scaffolds with Tissue-Specific Bioactivity: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

The basic requirement of any engineered scaffold is to mimic the native tissue extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite substantial strides in understanding the ECM, scaffold fabrication processes of sufficient product robustness and bioactivity require further investigation, owing to the complexity of the natural ECM. A promising bioacive platform for cardiac tissue engineering is that of decellularized porcine cardiac ECM (pcECM, used here as a soft tissue representative model).

Structural Design and Synthesis of an SnO @C@Co-NC Composite as a High-Performance Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

To overcome the drawbacks of the structural instability and poor conductivity of SnO -based anode materials, a hollow core-shell-structured SnO @C@Co-NC (NC=N-doped carbon) composite was designed and synthesized by employing the heteroatom-doping and multiconfinement strategies. This composite material showed a much-reduced resistance to charge transfer and excellent cycling performance compared to the bare SnO nanoparticles and SnO @C composites. The doped heteroatoms and heterostructure boost the charge transfer, and the porous structure shortens the Li-ion diffusion pathway.

Single-atom Sn-Zn pairs in CuO catalyst promote dimethyldichlorosilane synthesis.

Single-atom catalysts are of great interest because they can maximize the atom-utilization efficiency and generate unique catalytic properties; however, much attention has been paid to single-site active components, rarely to catalyst promoters. Promoters can significantly affect the activity and selectivity of a catalyst, even at their low concentrations in catalysts. In this work, we designed and synthesized CuO catalysts with atomically dispersed co-promoters of Sn and Zn.

Catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate with manganese cobaltite nanoparticles for the degradation of organic dyes.

In this work, we report the facile hydrothermal synthesis of manganese cobaltite nanoparticles (MnCoO NPs) which can efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the generation of sulfate free radicals (SO˙) and degradation of organic dyes. The synthesized MnCoO NPs have a polyhedral morphology with cubic spinel structure, homogeneously distributed Mn, Co, and O elements, and an average size less than 50 nm. As demonstrated, MnCoO NPs showed the highest catalytic activity among all tested catalysts (MnO, CoO) and outperformed other spinel-based catalysts for Methylene Blue (MB) degradation.